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Henry Paget, The Eccentric Dancing Royal Heir Who Lost A Vast Fortune And His Life Before Turning 30
The 5th Marquess of Anglesey lived a short but colorful life, spending away a vast fortune
Inheriting an incredible amount of money and assets at an early age is something most people can only dream about. However, this was the reality of Henry Paget, the fifth Marquess of Anglesey. The flamboyant and extravagant heir assumed a vast fortune as a young man and then proceeded to squander it all away, along with losing his life, all before he turned 30.
Paget was born in 1875, the oldest son of the 4th Marquess. There were rumors that his actual father was a French actor named Benoit-Constant Coquelin, which were only fanned when the boy’s mother died when he was two and he was raised by his aunt instead of the Marquess for the following six years.
After attending Eton College, Paget received a commission as a Lieutenant in the Royal Welsh Fusiliers. When he was 22, he married his cousin, Lilian Chetwynd. However, it has been alleged that the couple never consummated their union, and Lilian even left him for a time just six weeks after they were wed. Later that year, his father died, leaving his oldest son with his title of Marquess and the family estates, which were…
